1. The Field of Invention
This invention relates in general to vacuums and animal waste and in particular to vacuums that use a disposable container and pickup tool. The emphasis here is on a potable hand held powered device that uses a vacuum airflow to remove animal waste and in the process collect it in a disposable container which along with the pick up tool can easily be removed from the device and disposed of cleanly with ease.
2. The Description of Related Art
In order to provide background information so that the invention may be completely understood and appreciated in its proper context, reference may be made to a number of prior art patents. Their patent numbers will be listed below when the item is patented. However, there are processes in use which are not necessarily patented whose description and use sheds light on the existing problems of which this new invention solves.
There is a problem for people in using lawn or grassy areas, or sidewalks where animals such as dogs have been. This problem is widespread, especially, but not limited to, dog owners backyards and city streets in crowded metropolitan areas. These animals leave behind their waste. This is particularly obnoxious to people when they are walking, playing or servicing the area and they happen to step in the waste or roll over the waste with the wheels or some other part of their equipment. The problems also extends to health considerations and surface deterioration/discoloration from the natural deterioration of this waste. People have solved this problem by picking up the waste using various tools however each device has its own drawbacks which I will be pointing out, and of which my invention solves.
There is in use a little, garden shovel which is used to scoop up the waste and deposit it in a bucket lined with a disposable bag. But the problems here are stooping or bending repetitively, getting close to the smelly waste, and getting debris on the shovel. My machine is operated from a standing position with no bending or stooping and there is no cleaning of the tools as they are immediately disposed of.
Some dog walkers carry with them plastic baggies which they use to wrap around the waste with their hands, or use a tool to push the waste into. This brings the owner terribly close to the waste and if a tool is used in the process, some waste is left on the tool which must later be cleaned. Not only is this process obnoxious but embarrassing as well as neighbors can see what the owner is carrying. My device keeps the owner at a comfortable distance from the waste and since the waste goes directly into a container no one is embarrassed by onlookers and since the pickup tool and container are disposable there is no cleanup. Just a simple slide out from the machine and a toss into a trash container and they are done.
Another tool is similar to two shovels at the end of long sticks connected midway down the poles as a pair of scissors. This tool keeps the person at a distance from the waste but the problem of bending is replaced with teaming to effectively wield the long handled device to pick up the waste and then dispose of it in another container. But this tool still needs to be cleaned after its use and this is a particularly disgusting task. My hand held machine collects the debris in a long disposable intake lube which is hand controlled for ease of collection and no cleaning is required. All places that come into contact with the debris are disposed of after each use.
Another invention, U.S. Pat. No. 4,549,329, is a vacuum which will intake the debris through a tube. This machine is self cleaning in that after each use it puts down a puddle of water to be vacuumed up and this little mount of water is supposed to dissolve the waste that stuck to the interior of the tube. This device is not as clean as it proposes. The little mount of water that it deposits is not sufficient to clean some waste. It is also a disgusting process in that it must be emptied when filled up and then the waste is more fluid and obnoxious that before. This tool also requires the person to get somewhat close to the smelly obnoxious waste or debris, by stooping or bending to use the tool. My invention, although it used the concept of a long tube as a pickup device is better since it is disposable, and never needs cleaning. It is also better in that the intake tube/container port is easily pointed m and brought near the waste for pickup.
Still another group of tools am the blower/vacuum devices. Please refer to the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,325,163, 4,644,606, 4,461,055, 4,870,714 and 5,222,275. These machines are either electric or gas powered blower/vacuums. The blower portion works because an air flow is created with an impeller (fan) connected to the motor/engine, Air is sucked into the machine by the impeller, across the blades of the impeller and pushed out the blower tube. A vacuum is created at the intake end. When the vacuum portion is desired to be used a switch of equipment puts a bag on the blower end and a long tube is put on the intake end. Waste is sucked into the machine via the intake tube, across the impeller and out the blower end and into the bag. However, these types of machines will not work as animal waste vacuums as the waste and debris is smashed and crunched when it rams into the impeller or cut by a mulching blade and this would make a severe mess and clog up the machine. My machine collects the debris before the debris reaches the impeller. The container allows the waste to collect outside of the air flow path and before it gets to the impeller.
There is also another group of portable vacuums, please refer to these U.S. Pat. Nos., 4,325,162, 4,570,286 and 4,944,065 that use a long intake tube and a portable vacuum. These vacuums do not use the combination of disposable pickup tools and disposable storage containers and as pointed out earlier with other devices cleaning these pieces of equipment after each use would be problematic.
Whatever the precise merits, features and advantages of the above cited references, none of them achieves or fulfills the purposes of the current disposable intake tube and container of the present invention.